UK Biodiversity Framework

The UK Government became a signatory to the Convention of Biological Diversity in Rio de Janerio in 1992, this commitment to halt the loss of biodiversity was put into practice with the launch of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) in 1994. Species and Habitat Action Plans (SAPs & HAPs) were drawn up for the most threatened species and habitats considered to require targeted conservation action.

Devolution led the four countries of the UK to develop their own country specific strategies for biodiversity. In 2007 a shared vision for UK biodiversity conservation was adopted by the devolved administrations and the UK government, and ‘Conserving Biodiversity – the UK Approach’ was published.

The strategic approach to delivering biodiversity targets

The ‘UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework’ published in July 2012, is the governments response to the publication of the Convention of Biological Diversity’s ‘Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020’, and the launch of the new EU Biodiversity Strategy (EUBS) in May 2011. The framework focuses on a more holistic landscape scale approach to managing the environment and now replaces the UK level BAP and its associated processes.

Now the UK BAP partnership no longer operates, but many of the outputs originally developed under the UK BAP still remain valid and of use. For example, background information on UK priority habitats and species still inform much of the biodiversity work at country level and remain a point of reference for targeted conservation efforts.